Come Back
by Rosesdancinginmymind
Summary: Established SQ. AU version of 2x09 wherein Regina, David and Henry are too late to stop the effects of Rumple's curse and thus Snow and Emma do not return. This is essentially the aftermath of that event.
1. Chapter 1

_AN: This idea popped into my head a few days ago. Assume for this story that SQ were together in Season One. This is an AU in which Rumple puts the death curse on the well but Regina, David and Henry are too late to stop him thus Snow and Emma do not return. This is the aftermath of that event. I can't really say much more without giving the whole story away so I shall leave it at that. I don't own Once or its characters. Apologies for any mistakes. Hope you like it :)_

The three of them run up to the well, two former enemies working together for the ones they love and a small boy hoping to be reunited with the other half of his family. The leaves on the forest floor crunch beneath them and the wind howls as they run in a panic to the well. Rumplestiltskin is already there, his toxic green curse working its magic. A strong violent magic. One that can't be beaten. The three get there in time to hear the crackle and hiss of the sparks before it vanishes. They were too late. They hold their breaths in anticipation but no-one emerges.

The small boy runs up to the well chased by his grandfather. He cries out as he looks into the now useless well. Where there used to be water is now a pile of ashes. Tears stream down his face as Prince Charming does his best to calm his grandson. His words are not enough. They will not bring back the ones destroyed by Rumplestiltskin's haste and lies of protection. The boy turns to face his mother who is standing frozen in her place, eyes fixed on the well.

"Mom?" he asks in a shaky voice.

"Regina?" Charming asks also concerned.

The boy's voice suddenly takes on a level of rage as he flies at the woman, his small fists flailing at her, "Bring them back! Do something!" he yells until his voice is hoarse but the brunette barely even flinches. "Henry! Stop!" Charming calls before dragging the boy away from his mother and holding him secure in his arms. He knows he can't fall apart now. He needs to have faith. It's when he looks at Regina who has moved almost robotically past them and sat by the steps, her arms on her knees as she stares vacantly up at the well that he knows something is wrong.

Henry picks up on this worry and walks over to the woman, his grandfather hot on his heels. Both kneel down in front of her. "Regina?" Charming asks.

"She's coming back" is the hushed whisper he gets in reply.

"Mom. We need to go" Henry says insistently willing his mother to move.

"Not without Emma" she whispers her voice haunted.

"Regina" Charming says placing his hands gently on top of her arms, "She's not coming through here"

"She's coming back"

"Regina, we need to get back to town"

Nothing.

He can feel his anger rising, "Now Regina! Get up!" he shouts at her hoping for any reaction at all. The woman's eyes are glazed over and she looks through him to the glaring spectre of the well. "She's coming back"

"Fine. Stay here for all I care. Come on Henry" he snaps steering his grandson away from his mother.

"Grandpa, Mom will come back right?" he asks worriedly.

Charming sighs wishing he could be optimistic but finding he cannot bring himself to be now. He knows he must put on a brave face for Henry though, "I hope so kid"

* * *

_The two woman lie blissfully in each other's arms after another of their secret nights together. The only two who know of their relationship are Mary Margaret and Henry and both Emma and Regina are content to leave it at those two._

_The brunette shifts in the blonde's arms chewing her lip worriedly. The blonde feels the tension radiating off the other woman and places a scattering of soft kisses to her bare shoulders, "Regina, what's wrong?" _

_She sighs, "When the curse breaks what do you think will happen?" _

_The blonde shrugs, "I don't know" _

_The brunette snuggles closer into the blonde and Emma quickly wraps her arms tighter around her knowing Regina needs the comfort. "I won't let them hurt you ya know" _

"_I know but what if you're not with me?" _

"_Regina I love you and trust me even if we were on the opposite ends of the universe I'd still find my way back to you so I could keep you safe" _

_The older woman smiles, "I love you too. Promise?" _

"_Promise what?" _

"_That you'll always come back" _

"_I promise"_

* * *

Two days pass and Regina does not move. The harsh winter weather is taking its toll on her but she must wait. Emma promised her. She said she'd be back so the brunette continues to watch the well hoping for a glimpse of a blonde curl or red jacket. The forest moves around her but she pays no mind to it. There are sounds and sights but her focus is on the well. Her body shivers from when the rain came yesterday. She didn't even feel it instead she wondered if it rained where Emma was.

She hears the footsteps approaching but does not move. The face of Prince Charming swims in her vision blocking her view of the well. She concentrates until he is just a blur and she can keep watch again. He came by yesterday as well. He told her Emma wasn't coming through here but there isn't anywhere else. She has to come back through this well. He told her to come back to town but she can't, not without Emma.

Charming once again kneels down by Regina. She continues looking through him. He's already worked out that this was their only portal. He knows they are not coming. Henry knows. Everyone knows. Just not Regina. He looks at the shivering rain-soaked woman and wonders if she can even feel how cold she is. He sighs knowing he has to get through to her. It's what his daughter would want. He sniffs back a sob as he wonders if he'll ever see her or his wife again.

"Regina" he says his voice a little raspier from the crying he does in secret. He's been trying to be brave for Henry who needs him to soothe his tears and grief.

"Come on Regina" he says a little firmer. He moves his hands to her shoulders and shakes the woman. She moves limply in his grasp like a ragdoll her eyes never leaving the well. He leans back on his haunches releasing the woman who falls back into her sitting vigil. He sees the beads of sweat on her forehead and the violent shivers wracking her frame. He leans forward and places a hand on her head, instantly recoiling when he feels the heat of the fever. "Jesus Regina, we've got to get you away from here" he says even though he knows she won't respond.

Archie had suggested coaxing her away gently but in two days she hasn't moved. She hasn't eaten. She hasn't drunk anything. She clearly hasn't slept. In two days all she has done is watch and repeat the same three words.

Charming knows he can't leave her out here not in this condition. He moves to pick her up and she screams. The ear-splitting shriek pierces the cold silence of the landscape and makes him jump. Regina thrashes in his arms hitting out at him and screeching until a frantic blow strikes his stomach causing him to drop her. She immediately scrambles back to her waiting place, eyes hysterically scanning the well just in case she missed something. Her breathing is erratic as she re-settles herself on the ground, "She's coming back. She's coming back" he can her whispering this mantra to herself repeating it until it becomes another noise in the forest.

He watches her sadly knowing that he cannot get her to leave alone and certainly not willingly. He wonders what will happen if Emma and Snow never return. As he stares at Regina rocking back and forth as she repeats her words oblivious to her own fragile physical condition he wonders if she'll come back either.

* * *

He calls Dr Hopper immediately and tells him of this latest development. They both know leaving the well will be catastrophic for Regina but that for her sake she cannot stay out there.

"She won't move Archie"

"What happens if you try to get her to leave?"

"She screamed and basically attacked me. If anything I think it just made things worse"

He hears the other man sigh on the line, "I know this is going to sound harsh but I'm afraid we may only have one option"

He can hear the hesitance in the therapist's voice. He remembers that Regina had visited the doctor on several occasions. He can tell that whatever the other man is about to suggest is a last resort. "What?"

"The only way to get her to move may be to sedate her and force her to stay in the hospital"

He gulps looking at Regina who barely even seems to register that he's still there. He knows that if she does come back she'll never forgive him for this. He can picture Henry's devastated face when he'll have to tell him how they got her into the hospital. He wonders if he'll forgive him either. He holds in the sob at knowing that the only chance they all have here is in taking her there against her will. The woman had only just the other day confided in him that one of the reasons she hated Snow was because her actions resulted in her feeling trapped. He knows Regina doesn't like to be held against her will, he knows her fear of being locked away. He can't help but see what he's about to do as a betrayal. Unfortunately he too knows that in times when the world is so unbelievably broken that sometimes the last resort is all you have left.

He sighs before responding to Archie, "Call Dr Whale, get someone down here so we can take her in"

"Are you sure David?"

No he isn't but he has no choice. "Yes" with that he hangs up the phone and waits.

Less than twenty minutes later Whale, a nurse and Ruby, who just happened to be with Whale at the time of the emergency page, arrive at the well. In spite of any grievances they bear against Regina all of their faces drop into pity and shock at seeing the woman look so utterly broken and vulnerable.

Charming kneels down in front of Regina again hoping he can get her to go the hospital quietly rather than taking the extreme route. "Regina, we need to get you to the hospital"

She doesn't move.

He moves to unfold her arms and tries to make her stand. He can see the looks of empathy and surprise as the woman begins to fight him so she can stay on the ground. He grabs at her wrists as she sags against him barely able to hold up her own weight, "Regina, you need to come with me. Please" he adds the last bit in as a plea hoping his words will reach her.

"She's coming back" the hoarse whisper comes as she pushes away from David and collapses back into her vigil.

He sighs sadly before motioning for Whale and the nurse to come forward. Ruby comes up to him and places her hand on his shoulder in sympathy, "I'm sure she'll be alright" her words don't convince him. Over the past few days he's come to realise that they are just words, that they don't always make things better or make them true. He looks at Regina and thinks of how many times she has repeated the same three words. They didn't bring Emma back.

Even though he think this he knows that words are what he needs to cling to. They can give him hope and the strength to look after Henry and maybe help Regina. He hears Regina scream and try to struggle against Whale and the nurse.

He runs over and helps them hold her down, "I'm sorry Regina" he whispers as Whale plunges the needle in. He feels her body go limp beneath him and scoops her up into his arms. Whale quickly tests her temperature before shooting an alarmed look at Charming, "We need to get her to the hospital now"

Henry and Charming stand outside the hospital room. They can see in through the window. Regina is curled up on her side in the bed. They brought her fever down and physically she'll be fine. Fine. Charming scoffed at the word. Regina has been awake for two whole days and has not said a word. The nurses have had to force feed her and give her IV fluids for hydration since she would not move. Her eyes stare unseeingly up at something only she can see.

Henry frowns, sadness devastating his features, "She's not coming back is she?"

Charming looks from his grandson to the woman in the room before solemnly shaking his head, "I think the only one who can bring her back is Emma"

"She's not coming back either" he says resolutely, his lips drawn in a thin tight line of grief.

The man frowns, "We need to have faith Henry, have faith that one day they'll find their way back to us"

"They won't!" Henry yells, his fists clenched at his sides, "I know you want to believe that but the only portal to this world is gone. They have no way to get back here and Gold's curse probably killed them. So stop telling me to have faith and that everything is going to be okay because you know what Grandpa? Nothing is okay. Ma and Grandma are trapped and maybe dead and Mom is just gone" he ends his speech with a sigh full of sorrow, there are tears leaking unbidden from his eyes as he watches his Grandpa crumple with grief. Words, Charming thinks, words are more powerful than he realised. All it took was to hear the harsh cold truth from his grandson for the reality to hit him. He realises that he has been escaping as much as Regina has only he can get out of his escape and she can't. He looks up at Henry and pulls his grandson down for a hug. They both sit united in grief in the sterile cold of the hospital corridor outside of the room of a woman now lost to them.

"I'm so sorry Henry"

"I'm sorry too Grandpa"

"Don't be. I needed to hear that"

"I'm sorry because you lost them too" the boy says quietly as he looks behind them to peer at his mother. He told his Grandpa that he was sick of hearing about faith but in that moment he realises how much they both need it because it might just be all they have left. "Grandpa, I think we should still have faith"

"Why?"

"Because it might be the only thing that brings any of them back to us"

* * *

(One Year Later)

Henry pauses outside of the room. Charming and the doctors have all told him this is a bad idea, that is mother can only be brought back by Emma or a miracle but he remember his words to his Grandpa from a year ago and whilst they may all be running out of it, he still has faith. He sees what they don't – the small signs of progress in his mother. She eats now, she drinks, some days she'll even willing sleep. During his last visit she said "Henry" and this gave him renewed faith that slowly she is coming back to him.

For a while there were days when he was beyond angry that she could leave him like that, that they both could leave him. Then he realises that neither one of them wanted to leave him. Emma wanted to protect them, he knows Charming still has hopes that one day Emma and Snow will return, part of Henry wants to believe that too, the other part which has stopped believing in the power of magic and fairy-tales knows they won't. Regina never intended to leave him, her mind just couldn't handle being without Emma.

He takes a deep breath before entering the room. Regina is sitting up in the bed wearing a loose jumper and sweats. The hospital lets her be in her own clothes in the hopes it might trigger something, Henry smiles knowing full well they're Emma's clothes he brought her. "Hey Mom" he says as he approaches the bed.

She turns to him, her eyes slightly more focussed than a year ago shift to him. It no longer feels like she is staring through him but at him and Henry sees this as a good sign. He misses her adoring gaze, her smiles and her hugs. He wishes he hadn't pushed them away so many times. "Henry" she whispers her voice croaking out the syllables. Whale has warned him countless times that after a year even if Regina breaks out of her shell that normal speech will take a while. They've been trying speech therapy for six months now and all she's said is "Emma", "Henry", "Well" and "Book" but for Henry it's enough to give him hope.

"Yeah Mom it's me" he reaches out for her hand and pulls her gently off the bed. She looks smaller to him and he's not sure if it's because of how much he's grown in the past year or because of her stay in the hospital. Luckily the nurse put shoes on her this morning after Henry rang and told them that he was going ahead with his plan. One of the nurses enters the room now and smiles sympathetically at Henry, over the past year he's received this look many times and the nurses have become used to his presence as he talks to Regina in the room hoping to bring her back to him.

This nurse he knows has made the most breakthroughs with Regina and he has a feeling she has made sure to be on her service for today, "Regina" she says, "You're going out today"

His mother simply stares up at her before pointing to Henry, "Henry"

The nurse nods, "Yes with Henry, stay with him at all times okay?" Henry watches as his mother nods and he gasps happily at the interaction. The nurse smiles at him before putting a coat around Regina, "Henry, be careful. Don't stay out too long. Any trouble and you page me, Doctor Whale or Doctor Hopper immediately okay?"

He nods, "Grandpa will be there too"

She nods before squeezing his shoulder, "Good Luck Henry"

"Thanks" he replies before holding his hand out for his mother to take. She blinks a few times before taking it. He leads her slowly out of the hospital as she shuffles behind him. Charming is waiting at the hospital door for them, "Ready?" he asks Henry. He nods, "Mom, Grandpa is going to take us there"

She doesn't respond so he leads her to the car and pulls her seatbelt across her lap like she used to do for him when he was a kid. Charming looks at him seriously from the front of the car, "Hey Henry, look don't get your hopes up okay?"

He rolls his eyes, "I won't but I have to keep trying Grandpa, have faith right?"

Charming smiles, "Yeah kid have faith"

The drive to the forest is relatively silent until they pull up outside of the trees and an odd look washes over Regina's face, "Well. Emma" she murmurs.

Charming blinks in surprise at hearing her speak at all before helping her out of the car. The three of them walk through the woods, not the panicked run of the year before though there is still an icy chill in the air around them. They reach the well which since that day has decayed and rotted. Regina breaks free from Henry's grasp and walks towards it hand outstretched before her. "Mom?" Henry asks cautiously before running to catch up to her, Charming right behind him.

"Emma" she says but they both hear they crack in her voice. She is staring at the well which is so clearly inactive, she slowly peers over the rim of the well and for the first time sees the pile of ashes. Both Charming and Henry are close enough to hear the low whisper of "But she promised" before she backs away and sits on the floor mirroring her position from a year ago.

"I'm sorry Henry" Charming whispers sadly as he bends down to pick the woman up again. This time she doesn't scream but instead simply stares back at the well with a devastated expression of grief on her face.

Henry notices the change in her expression. He sees that her eyes are not vacant like they once were but have taken on a strange haunted look. Henry knows this might not seem like a big step at all but a year has taught him that it is indeed progress. He knows that if he keeps trying she will come back to him but as he stares into the haunted eyes of his mother he doesn't think that will be any better either.

_I'm going to call this a one-shot for now but I might continue it later on, I'm not sure yet. Let me know what you think of it and thanks for reading :)_


	2. Chapter 2

_AN: Decided to do a second part for this after all. Sorry it took so long. This part is not as depressing as the first one! Apologies for any mistakes. I don't own Once or its characters. Hope you enjoy it :)_

_Snow and Emma arrive at Lake Nostos to see Cora and Hook already there. She wears a victorious smirk before waving at the two of them with a sick smile. The blonde can feel the blood pounding in her ears, she thinks that she's failed. She promised her that she would always come back and she's failed. She can feel the tears coursing down her face as she pictures Henry and Regina, she wonders how she's supposed to get back to them now. Her body gives in as she lets loose a howl of despair Snow just catching her as she begins to bawl into her chest as her mother hugs her. _

_Suddenly there's loud cracking noise. They both turn, their jaws dropping open as the formally closed portal turns green before spitting out two bodies and vanishing with a screeching whoosh noise. "What the hell?" Emma asks turning to Snow who mirrors her confusion. _

_"Emma, it's Cora and Hook" she says standing whilst pulling Emma up. They wander cautiously over to the two crumpled forms both of them clearly dead. Emma sees something glinting in Cora's hands and leans over to pull the compass from her grasp._

_"What happened?" _

_"I have no idea. I've never heard of a portal doing that before" Snow whispers. "What do we do now?" she asks hopelessly._

_Emma turns to her defiantly clutching the compass like it's a lifeline, "We keep looking for another portal"_

_"Emma honey there might not be one"_

_"There has to be!" she shouts, "I promised her Snow and I will find a way to get back to them" _

_Snow blinks in surprise at her daughter's outburst before nodding slowly, she remembers David telling her to keep faith and realises this trait has passed on to their daughter. "Okay Emma, we'll find a way I promise" she says before the two link hands staring at the remains of the portal._

* * *

(One Year Later)

It's been a long year for the two women, a year spent traipsing through woods searching through village after village clinging to the only thing the two have here: hope.

Emma sighs staring up at the sun in the sky as she runs her fingers through her hair feeling the grimy build up since she and Snow have been travelling straight for three days. She reaches inside her tunic and pulls out the well-worn picture she looks at every day. It's a small photo of two grinning brunettes wrapped in a blanket with mugs of cocoa. Regina has her hand out intending to push away Emma's attempt to take a picture, now Emma presses her finger against the pixels making up the other woman's hand as if it could reach her all the way in Storybrooke.

Snow comes up to her and places a hand on her shoulder, "Emma are you alright?"

The blonde nods, "How much further?"

"Should be a few more hours if what those villagers said was true" she adds the last part hopefully even though so many of the tips they've been given so far have led to nothing. Both though remain optimistic that this rumour will be the one that gets them home.

Emma replaces the photo in its hiding place, just over her heart where the compass and magic bean reside. It took them four months and a quest to kill a dragon to get the bean and she'll be damned if she drops it.

Snow leads the way, it's been a year but she is still more familiar with the forest than Emma is having spent many months hiding out in the woods. Over the past year the two of them have learnt the ways of the forest, the solitude, the silence, the best places to hide from the magical creatures that lurk in the shadows and most importantly for them, to keep together.

Their latest hint about a portal comes from the last local village they visited in need of supplies. Weary of travelling they settled in the tavern for a long awaited and much appreciated drink when they overheard two men at the bar talking of a small river sourced from Lake Nostos itself at the north-west edge of the dark forest. Buoyed by the news they immediately began trekking the cold shadowy woods.

After a few more hours of what feels like endless walking Emma hears it. She stops before whispering for Snow to stop as well.

"What?" she asks quietly.

"Listen" she says a small smile on her face.

Snow pauses but frowns, "What?"

"Can't you hear it Snow? Listen" the blonde instructs again.

Snow stays silent again waiting to hear whatever has put the smile back on her daughter's face. There have been days when Emma had merely followed her zombielike around the forest, others when she fumed in anger and despair and other days where she allowed hope to force her onwards through injury and sickness. The two stand in the forest listening to the sounds of the woods and the birds ahead, the cool breeze whistling through the trees before Snow catches the sound Emma is talking about. She turns to her with a happy gasp, "Water"

Feeling their energy renewed by that faint sound the pair run following the direction of the noise before Emma collapses on a bank happy tears streaming down her face. Snow follows her gaze and finds similar tears of joys rolling down her cheeks at the sight of the sparkling stream before them. Finally after one long exhausting year they've found it. They found a new portal.

"Come on Emma" she says excitedly pulling her daughter to her feet.

"We finally found it Mom"

"Let's go home" her mother replies happily.

Emma holds her breath as she throws the bean into the water. They wait praying for it to work, for endless seconds nothing happens until finally the water swirls. Emma fist-pumps in celebration before setting the compass and grabbing Snow's hand. With one final glance at the forest that's kept them for a year they leap into the vortex.

* * *

It's the middle of the night when the phone rings. David groans, he knows that the only reason people call him at this time is to deliver bad news. He contemplates not answering at all but knows he can't. He still holds out hope that a call will come to tell him that Snow and Emma have returned. He picks up the phone by the bed "Hello" he mutters groggily sitting up so he can prepare himself to go deal with whatever had happened now.

"David. It's Doctor Whale" he frowns hoping that Regina is alright. After yesterday when Henry took her down to that well the only sign of recognition was her sobbing and muttering "She promised" over and over. Nonetheless Henry saw it as progress though now David thinks about he didn't seem pleased about it.

"Whale, what's going on?"

"It's Regina. She's missing"

"Missing?!" his brain goes onto high alert. "How did she go missing?"

"Well it's not like we have her under constant watch. We think she must have got out during shift change"

"Okay, I'll be right there" he says before disconnecting the line. I guess Henry's idea triggered something, he thinks sitting on the edge of the bed resting his head in his hands. He hopes she hasn't gone far or endangered herself. Henry doesn't need any more tragedy to befall his parents. He gets up slowly before going into the boy's room knowing he'll want to know, "Henry wake up"

The kid stirs slowly before blinking, "Grandpa, what's going on?" he mumbles.

"It's your Mom" David begins before Henry cuts him off excitedly "Is she better?" he asks hopefully before David silences him with a sad expression. "She's gone missing Henry"

The boy frowns all the way to the hospital a pensive expression on his face. He watches as his grandfather goes over to a frantic Doctor Whale and the nurse from earlier who looks terrified. Luckily for him they're all distracted so he can slip into her room to look for clues. David pops his head in quickly, "Hey Henry, we're just going to go check the security cameras, stay here okay". The boy nods and waits for him to leave before plucking the piece of paper he found under the pillow.

He stares in awe at the writing he thought he'd never see again. _Henry_.

He takes in a deep breath before opening up the paper.

_Henry,_

_Firstly thank you my sweet darling boy for never giving up faith in me. Without Emma I was lost but you found me. I know it's been so hard for you Henry and words cannot express to you how sorry I am that you had to face this without me, I should have been there for you. I'm so proud of you Henry, you are the best son I could ever have hoped for. I'm so glad you kept faith Henry. Without you I wouldn't have woken up. Please trust me Henry that Emma is coming back. She is. I wrote this letter for you Henry because I knew you would know where to find me. _

_I love you,_

_Mom_

He swipes at the tears that have fallen from his eyes as he finishes the letter. His plan worked. He rereads the letter feeling his mother's words wash over him. He smiles knowing how proud of him she is and how much she loves him. He wishes he'd realised it before. He feels a small bubble of resentment at the apology because she left him but then at least he brought her back. His mom still has faith and so does he. Henry quickly looks around to make sure no-one is watching as he too sneaks out of the hospital.

* * *

The salty sea breeze wafts through the air as the waves lap against the sandy beach and rocks. A woman sits beside where a play castle used to reside staring up at the stars. It's been a year since she saw the stars. She wonders if Emma can see similar ones. She smiles sadly thinking of Emma wondering when she's coming through.

At the well the previous afternoon she saw the ashes and felt the true weight of devastation hit her. For a year she had locked herself away in a bubble until Henry, her brave, smart boy burst it for her and showed her reality, that the well was dead. Dead. Her throat is still hoarse from her sobs but when she woke this morning she could feel it. The fog had cleared from her mind and the reality of the past year came to her. She wishes she had realised sooner, yes it would have hurt but she could have been there for Henry. Now she hopes that he forgives her and that he got her note.

This morning she heard the beat of her heart and felt the lightness again, a lightness she hadn't felt since Emma fell through that portal with her mother. That familiar warm happy feeling told her that Emma was still alive, the pull she felt towards the castle was unmistakeable. She just hopes her feelings are true and that she doesn't let Henry down again but deep down in her heart she knows the blonde is coming back to her.

She stares up at the star again wondering if they'll give her a sign. She finds herself lost in the sparkle of the lights as she runs her hand through her now longer hair. The woman remembers how surprised she was at seeing herself for the first time in a year, hair longer and slightly messy, face devoid of make-up, Emma's comfy clothes but still underneath it all she could find herself, a woman who survived deep loss and came back, a mother to a boy who needs her and a lover holding onto a promise.

A smaller figure sits down next to her on the cold ground, "I brought your coat" he says holding out the item. The woman blinks at him before looking down and noticing that she didn't put one on, she blushes slightly wondering how she could have forgotten that simple thing. The boy notices her embarrassment and helps into the coat, "It's okay Mom, you've been pretty out of it for a while and Dr Whale told me that it would take you a while to get back to normal"

"Thank you Henry" she says both knowing that those three words are for more than just a coat.

The woman shuffles slightly to be closer to the small boy before raising her arm and bringing him in for a hug. Both smile before tears roll slightly down their faces at the feel of each other's comforting arms again, "Oh Henry, I'm so sorry" she whispers as he buries his face in her chest.

He doesn't reply instead letting himself be held, "I missed you Mom" he says after a few moments. The woman gulps back a sob before slowly finding her voice to say, "I missed you too Henry, so much, I'm sorry I wasn't there" she knows those words won't fix the last year but they're all she has. He nods, "I understand Mom but I got you back" she nods in response. "You're such a brave boy Henry"

"Do you really think they're coming back?" he asks the question he's been too afraid to voice in front of his grandfather for the past year. He wonders if he should have asked it but he's so tired of being the strong one. Now in the arms of his mother, feeling the familiar comfort from his childhood he feels a weight lift from his shoulders.

"I really do Henry" her voice is filled with confidence this time, he blinks so used now to the odd shaky word that hearing his mother talk to him throws him off balance. It feels oddly he thinks like a return to what they were. He stays in his mother's arms and much like he used to do when he was a child decides to put his hope and faith in her. She needs him to believe her and he needs to believe her. Maybe just maybe if they hold enough hope together then they can bring Emma back. He sighs wishing he were still young enough to believe that hope made wishes come true, a year ago he might have done but a lot has happened since the curse broke and he finds that his naïve innocence in the belief of good and bad has been shattered like fragile glass and put back together to form a new ball. A ball that appears fine on the surface yet is covered in thin fractures spider-webbing around it so that the small lines of doubt and sorrow are lacing through the hope. He still holds onto the hope though that Emma will be back and that her return will remove the shadow of loss that hangs over his family. He turns to his mother whose eyes are searching the stars, he marvels at how small and innocent she manages to look given how for eighteen months she was the big bad evil queen haunting his storybook world. Now though he understands that underneath all of that was the person he and Emma knew, this one who looks to the stars for meaning.

They sit on the sand in quiet comfortable silence for a while with just the sound of the waves accompanying their anticipation. Henry can feel his mother's anxiety grow with each passing second that Emma and Snow do not appear.

"They're coming Mom" he says reassuringly squeezing her hand for support. She turns to him and smiles, "I know Henry"

"Does David know where you are?" she asks slowly, quietly as if her voice is a strange new language in her throat.

Henry shakes his head, "No"

"Call him"

"You sure?" he asks unsure of how his mother feels towards his grandfather.

The woman nods. She used to hold so much hate towards the man and his wife but they're Emma's parents, they're Henry's grandparents and that matters enough for her to try and forgive. After the wraith David stepped up, he took care of Henry and to her surprise he took care of her when she needed it. She knows as well that he has looked after Henry for this past year when she could not. She knows that like her he has been waiting for this moment and as such he deserves to be here as well.

Henry nods before dialling the phone knowing his grandfather is definitely insanely worried right now.

David arrives ten minutes after Henry's phone call and assurance that they are both fine. He runs over to both of them engulfing the pair of them in a big hug. "Regina, Henry, are you okay?"

"We're fine" his jaw drops open in shock at hearing Regina answer the question.

"You're b-back?" he stutters in disbelief. The woman nods slowly, "Nearly, thank you for taking care of Henry, now sit down" as she slowly thinks through her words before speaking them David continues to observe as if he can't quite believe that after a year she broke out of whatever fog she was under. Too stunned to reply he sits down next to the other two. "Are they coming?" he asks. It's as if Regina's return to them has caused the weight of bravado to drop off both his and Henry's shoulders. Her waking up has caused them to return to reality as well. Together they can face the hope of a new portal.

After what feels like hours of watching waves Regina suddenly stands and points to something the other two cannot see. "Look" she says nervously. David moves to steady her as she stumbles slightly, Henry standing as well as they stare out to the choppy waves. It is after a few more torturous seconds that they see what she sees, a slight purple flickering of the waves before them. They stand back, hopeful smiles spreading over their faces as the swirl grows and sparkles.

The water gurgles slightly before sputtering and two figures emerge gasping slightly for air as they swim forward and out of the torrent. The portal behind them cracks and whooshes back down leaving only the normal current of the waves as the blonde helps up her mother.

"Emma!" comes the joyful shout of Regina as she runs through the water into the blonde's arms.

"Regina" she says breathlessly and happily before pulling the woman in for a kiss. Both pull apart slightly with grins stretching wide across their faces. Regina can feel the sobs about to wrack her frame before sliding into Emma's embrace as Henry hugs them both. She vaguely registers Snow and David come around them and form a hug sandwich around the three of them.

She smiles into Emma's shoulder before whispering, "You came back"

Emma leans down placing a gentle kiss on the woman's hair, "I promised"

_Thanks for reading :)_


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